Precipitation static (“P-static”) may form on airborne vehicles (e.g., aircraft) as a result of the vehicle being in certain types of weather (e.g., thunderstorms) and/or from airborne particles, such as ice, snow, rain droplets and dust, striking the vehicle and inducing a charge through triboelectric charging (e.g., frictional charging). P-static may interfere with the vehicle's electronic systems. For example, electric discharge from P-static may interfere with the vehicle's radio systems.
P-static can also cause a heater layer (e.g., a heater film) on a transparency (e.g., canopy, windshield or window) of the vehicle to fail. The heater layer may be used for deicing and/or defogging the transparency (e.g., the windshield) and, thus, a failure of the heater layer impacts the operability of the vehicle. Additionally, excessive charge built up on a windshield of an aircraft can produce arcing, which may cause a substrate (e.g., glass or plastic) of the windshield to break.